Big Hero 6: Rescuing Abigail
Hiro slipped down from the pod and watched dully as Wasabi, Go Go, Honey and Fred ran toward him.
Wasabi paused not far away and looked around, "Baymax?"
Hiro could just shake his head and look into the pod. Of course, Baymax had sacrificed himself, just like Tadashi did. Hiro thought he should be used to this by now, but he just felt all empty inside.
"Abigail!" called Prof. Callaghan as he and Alistair Krei rushed over.
Wasabi and Fred looked like they would stop them, but Hiro mumbled, "Let them through. It's his daughter."
"Abigail!" Callaghan called again as he pressed his hands on the canopy. They could see her take a slow breath.
"She's alive, Robert. Get the canopy release!" said Krei.
Prof. Callaghan pushed on the clearly-marked lever, but the distorted metal of the crashed pod didn't allow it to move.
"It's jammed!" Said Prof. Callaghan as he slammed a gloved fist on the canopy, gazing at his returned daughter.
"I can get her out." Said Wasabi as he activated his laser hands and raised them over his head.
"Wo, wo, wo!" Said Krei, standing before the green clad superhero.
"Don't go crazy here, just cut along the yellow lines." Krei gestured to the triangle of thick yellow lines labeled Rescue behind the cockpit Hiro was standing right next to
"It's 3mm aluminum so don't go too deep. That will allow us access to the release mechanism." Said Krei.
"Right." Said Wasabi, and Hiro stepped back as Wasabi approached and made three precise cuts to the pod.
Hiro gloves were quite thick, so he didn't feel any heat as he popped the metal cover free and tossed it aside. He saw Prof. Callaghan and Alistair Krei rush over and start manipulating mechanisms inside the pad. Go Go and Honey Lemon came up beside him. He could see that despite their differences they had been a team once.
"Open damn, you!" shouted Prof. Callaghan.
"Wait, this one, up here." Said Alistair, reaching up and pulling on an actuator.
The canopy popped open. Fred and Wasabi lifted it and threw it from the pod.
Go Go reached in and felt her neck. "She's got a pulse, it's faint and very slow as is her breathing."
"Baymax said she's in hyper-sleep." Hiro reminded them, not sure if they has been able to hear in the maelstrom that the portal had caused.
"She rigged up hyper-sleep?" Asked Krei.
"Of course she did, she's a smart girl. My smart girl!" said Prof. Callaghan proudly.
"Of course she is, but how do we turn it off?" asked Krei.
Prof. Callaghan frowned as he thought hard, scanning the cockpit. There was a bundle of wires on one side that went to the suit she was wearing.
"She rigged the suit's monitor to do the stimulation." He traced the cables to a series of switches.
"All but this breaker are off. That means she shunted all the power into keeping herself asleep. So all we need to do is flip this breaker to cut the power and she should wake up." Prof. Callaghan flipped the breaker off.
No one breathed. Honey Lemon clutched his shoulder.
"Pulse's increasing and so's her breathing." Announced Go Go.
"Alright!" shouted Fred.
Honey Lemon gave him a shake.
Hiro even smiled at the news.
"Abigail! Abigail! Wake up!" shouted Prof. Callaghan.
"Daddy? …knew… you'd… come." Hiro heard faintly from Abigail and he saw him hug his daughter.
Then Prof. Callaghan turned to him, came over and knelt before him. "Hiro, I am sorry for what happened. I didn't mean for all this…" he gestured to the rubble.
"I… Thank you for bringing my daughter home. I can never repay you."
Alistair Krei stepped forward. "Not on your salary, no. But I can make sure he is well taken care of."
Everyone stared at the billionaire.
"Robert, it was supposed to have been safe. I never would have sent a person through if there was any anticipated danger, when a camera could have done the job just as well. I was sure she was still alive from the cameras we did send through. I wanted to mount a rescue but the General stonewalled. I gave up because I thought she would have starved to death. The whole reason for my creating Krei Tech was to never have to be in a position to beg for money to do the right thing. That's why I couldn't stay at the Institute with you."
Robert looked at Alistair and then nodded.
There was the sound of sirens approaching.
Prof. Callaghan stood and gathered everyone with his eyes and they stood taller. "Okay students. Well, I guess I'm not your teacher anymore."
He waved his hand. "I've got debts to pay, but I just wanted to tell you all, that you are the most brilliant students I have ever met, and more than that, you are acing life. That's the most important thing. Now, get out of here before the police show up. I don't think any of you nerds are fast enough talkers to get out of what's coming, especially in those outfits."
"Thanks, Professor." Said Wasabi.
"Thank you, Professor Callaghan." Said Honey Lemon.
Go Go bowed deeply.
Fred turned away.
"Fred." Said Professor Callaghan.
Fred turned back.
"I see you are finally the fire-breathing lizard you always wanted to be."
"Yes, sir."
"You were always pretty special, don't sell yourself short."
Fred looked confused for a moment, then he smiled, "I won't."
"Hiro, you are a true hero. Keep changing the world. Now, get moving." Said Prof. Callaghan.
"Don't worry, I'll put my best lawyers on helping Robert get out of jail." Said Krei.
Hiro nodded and he and the others trotted away.
"Go Go, find us a way to some high ground so we can see what's happening."
"On it." She glided away.
Soon they were watching from the top of a nearby building as Abigail was taken to an ambulance and Prof. Callaghan to a police car as Alistair Krei was talking to some cops.
Hiro turned away from the edge of the building.
"So, now what?" Asked Wasabi.
"Let's, um, go home and change. I think we've done enough superheroing today." Hiro said slowly.
"But what about you? We lost Baymax." Said Honey Lemon.
"Yeah, but we got Prof. Callaghan's daughter back, so it evens out." Hiro said flippantly.
"Hiro," Honey Lemon knelt and put a hand on the side of his helmet. "What happened?"
Hiro sighed. "We found her and he was flying us back. I had to give him directions because he couldn't see and there was a lot of debris. We were almost there, then he saw some I didn't. He threw himself in the way. He saved us, but lost his armor and the thrusters were damaged. He still had one rocket fist and then he asked if I was satisfied with my care."
Hiro couldn't see who had gasped, there were too many tears in his eyes but he did feel arms around him.
"He can't deactivate until I said I was satisfied with my care. I was trying to think of something but there wasn't time. So I said I was and he launched us through the portal."
Hiro wasn't sure if anyone could understand through his sobs but he didn't care as he clung to Honey Lemon.
"There, there, we're here."
His face was cold as Honey Lemon opened his helmet and wiped his face with a handkerchief. He took the handkerchief, blew his nose and felt much better. He recognized it as one of Wasabi's and held it out with a shaking hand.
Wasabi looked horrified and waved his hands, "Keep it. I have others."
Hiro made a mental note to clean it first before trying to give it back.
"Ah guys, maybe we should get out of sight before the helicopters get here." Said Go Go as they heard to heavy whump of helicopters approaching.
"Right, let's go back to being college students." Hiro said leading them to the stairs.
Author's note: Ever since I saw Big Hero 6 I thought there was a little more excitement left in getting Abigail from the pod. Since they skipped over that part, I decided to fill it in a little.